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Education NewsThu, 01 Feb 2018 23:20:17 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.2Rapper Common Performs at New York Charter School Rallyhttp://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/rapper-common-performs-at-new-york-charter-school-rally/
http://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/rapper-common-performs-at-new-york-charter-school-rally/#commentsFri, 30 Sep 2016 12:00:35 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=285136Thousands of parents, students, and educators were in attendance at a pro-charter school rally in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park earlier in the week, where they were treated to a performance by rapper Common. The rally, organized by the Families for Excellent Schools, was put together in an effort to push New York City to increase its public charter […]

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Kristin Decarr

Thousands of parents, students, and educators were in attendance at a pro-charter school rally in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park earlier in the week, where they were treated to a performance by rapper Common.

The rally, organized by the Families for Excellent Schools, was put together in an effort to push New York City to increase its public charter school sector. The group is asking that it double in size to reach 200,000 students by 2020. Organizer Yvonne Guillen said that around 60,000 students were enrolled in charter schools around four years ago, and has since grown to 100,000.

It is estimated that 25,000 school teachers, parents, and students from all five boroughs came together for the two hour #PathtoPossible rally and march.

“It’s just to incredible that we got so many of our families and, we don’t really communicate so much with all of the schools,” teacher Jackie Lenoff said. “But that all of us were able to gather, so many people, it’s really incredible.”

Organizers noted that the event was put together not only to celebrate the success that charter schools have had in the area, but also to bring attention to the need for additional funding for these schools.

While students in attendance skipped school in order to go to the rally, parents said their children were receiving an education by joining in a rally that is just as valuable as the one they would have received sitting in their classrooms.

“It’s the first time they’ve allowed the kids to attend these events, so I think it was a bigger education for them,” parent Ulises Velazquez said. “Because they see now what charter schools mean to us as parents.”

Families for Excellent Schools argued that doubling the number of students enrolled in charter schools would help to eliminate the achievement gap that is currently affecting many low-income children. One attending parent told Joe Torres for ABC7 that he hopes the event will cause politicians to take note that these schools should be available to benefit all children, adding that it should be every child or parent’s choice to enroll.

The highlight of the entire day may have been hip hop artist and civil rights activist Common, who not only spoke to the crowd, but also performed. “You’ve been shown the love to be able to get into these schools and excel as a student,” he told the crowd. The Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning rapper was on stage for almost 20 minutes, writes Ben Chapman for The New York Daily News.

“Every kid from every neighborhood deserves a great education, and New York City’s public charter schools are bringing this vision to life,” Common said. “I’m proud to support charter school families in their fight.”

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. also spoke in support of the event.

Earlier in the week, 19 elected officials signed a letter in support of charter schools throughout the city. The letter was signed by elected officials from every borough, including Jeffries and Diaz.

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Kristin Decarr

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/rapper-common-performs-at-new-york-charter-school-rally/feed/0After Public, Teacher Input, New York to Revise Common Core Standardshttp://www.educationnews.org/education-policy-and-politics/after-public-teacher-input-new-york-to-revise-common-core-standards/
http://www.educationnews.org/education-policy-and-politics/after-public-teacher-input-new-york-to-revise-common-core-standards/#commentsFri, 23 Sep 2016 19:00:43 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=284843New York Education Department officials have made draft changes to improve Common Core academic standards with the pledge of better lessons that will also remain rigorous. The streamlining of the Common Core criteria will be executed beginning in the 2017-2018 school year after the Board of Regents approves them in 2017, writes Lisa L. Colangelo for […]

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Grace Smith

New York Education Department officials have made draft changes to improve Common Core academic standards with the pledge of better lessons that will also remain rigorous.

The streamlining of the Common Core criteria will be executed beginning in the 2017-2018 school year after the Board of Regents approves them in 2017, writes Lisa L. Colangelo for the New York Daily News.

The changes will be far-reaching, said State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia, but the state’s robust take on the national academic standards will not be watered down.

“With English Language Arts, more than 60 percent of those standards have changed and with mathematics, more than 55 percent have changed,” Elia said. “It isn’t just tinkering around the edges and doing small little things.”

The difficulty of Common Core caused a huge drop in state test scores in 2013, which angered educators and parents. Even now, test scores have not fully revived, and Common Core is still just as controversial.

The alterations, which include more fiction in reading lessons and the addition of glossaries to critical reading passages, have been supported by Common Core proponents including the NYC Education Department, teachers unions, and a variety of education advocacy organizations.

Stephen Sigmund, executive director of the nonprofit High Achievement New York, who has been against any changes to the standards, said he thought the changes simplified the curriculum and the revisions were an improvement.

But David Bloomfield, professor of education leadership at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center, disagrees.

“All students don’t learn at the same pace but teachers are encouraged to teach the standards rather than the child in front of them,” he said. “It doesn’t cure the limiting of the curriculum. As long as we focus on ELA and math there will be less time for the arts and less time for science.”

The basic principles of Common Core, known as the “anchor standards,” will, for the most part, remain the same, says Jon Campbell of The Journal News.

It was late last year when the state asked for public comment from parents, students, and teachers regarding the standards. Responses came from over 10,500 individuals. Other states have undertaken similar reviews of Common Core, which took the New York Education Department a year to complete.

Teachers and parents have stated that the Common Core reading benchmarks are not grade-level appropriate. Another change will be the inclusion of a stronger focus on interaction among students in pre-K through second grade as an instructional tool. And many of the changes focus on consolidation of various standards, especially when it comes to reading.

Some of the benchmarks were moved up a grade level so they were developmentally appropriate for students.

But Lisa Rudley, a parent who helped create the opt-out group New York State Allies for Public Education, says she would like to hear from the minority members of the committees who feel their ideas and concerns were not a part of the revisions, according to the Times Union’s Bethany Bump.

John Hildebrand, writing for Newsday, quotes the commissioner:

“Now, we want to hear from educators and parents so we can develop the best learning standards to prepare New York’s children for their futures.”

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Grace Smith

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/education-policy-and-politics/after-public-teacher-input-new-york-to-revise-common-core-standards/feed/0New York Med Schools No Longer Accepting Unclaimed Bodieshttp://www.educationnews.org/higher-education/new-york-med-schools-no-longer-accepting-unclaimed-bodies/
http://www.educationnews.org/higher-education/new-york-med-schools-no-longer-accepting-unclaimed-bodies/#commentsSat, 13 Aug 2016 15:00:38 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=282631Medical schools in the state of New York will no longer be accepting unclaimed bodies from city medical examiners to be used as research cadavers. Representing the 16 medical schools in the state, Associated Medical Schools of New York announced that instead of accepting these unclaimed bodies, schools will rely on donor programs. “Donating your body […]

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Kristin Decarr

Medical schools in the state of New York will no longer be accepting unclaimed bodies from city medical examiners to be used as research cadavers.

Representing the 16 medical schools in the state, Associated Medical Schools of New York announced that instead of accepting these unclaimed bodies, schools will rely on donor programs.

“Donating your body to science is the ultimate gift a person can make,” AMSNY President Jo Wiederhorn said in a statement. “We can’t train future doctors without these donations and, in many cases, we can’t make medical discoveries that lead to cures and life improvements without them.”

At the same time, the group has withdrawn its opposition to a bill that recently passed in the state that puts an end to the educational use of bodies with no known survivors. Written consent from a spouse of next of kin will now be required before city officials are allowed to release an unclaimed body to a school. The bill is currently awaiting the signature of Governor Andrew Cuomo before it can become law, reports Glenn Blain for The New York Daily News.

An investigation by The New York Times found that current law in the state offers just 48 hours or less for families to claim the body of a relative before it must be made available by the city for embalming or dissection.

In all, at least 4,000 bodies have been offered by the city to medical or mortuary programs over the past decade. Out of these, more than 1,877 were taken before being placed in mass graves on Hart Island. The island is home to more than a million men, women, and children who have been placed in mass graves there since 1869 after becoming city property.

Medical schools in the state, which educate more students than schools in any other state, have seen a decrease in the need for unclaimed bodies recently as the body donations program continues to grow. Despite this, the group previously announced their opposition to the bill, saying the program is typically 38 bodies short of the 800 used to teach students each year.

However, after results from the investigation were released, the group changed their minds, saying schools can make up the body shortage through promotion of their body donation programs. Medical schools have historically shared donated cadavers with schools that do not have enough, which will now be especially helpful for the two schools who have only just started a body donation program, CUNY College of Medicine and Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, writes Nina Bernstein for The New York Times.

The American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Services, the only mortuary school in the city, is now the last school left searching for a veto.

“McAllister is recommending and pleading with the governor to not sign the bill,” said Brian Sokoloff, the lawyer who represents the mortuary school. “Those who support this bill should explain how they expect people to be able to do the practice embalmings that they’re required to do to get a license,” Mr. Sokoloff said, calling the proposed law “a terrible idea.”

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Kristin Decarr

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/higher-education/new-york-med-schools-no-longer-accepting-unclaimed-bodies/feed/0New York City Test Scores Improve, But Opt Outs Hold Stronghttp://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/new-york-city-test-scores-improve-but-opt-outs-hold-strong/
http://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/new-york-city-test-scores-improve-but-opt-outs-hold-strong/#commentsThu, 04 Aug 2016 14:30:58 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=282097The latest standardized test score results show that students in New York City have made significant gains on state reading and math exams for 2016. Results show that 38% of NYC students between grades three and eight met state reading standards in 2016, an increase from the 30.4% who did so in 2015. Math test […]

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Kristin Decarr

The latest standardized test score results show that students in New York City have made significant gains on state reading and math exams for 2016.

Results show that 38% of NYC students between grades three and eight met state reading standards in 2016, an increase from the 30.4% who did so in 2015. Math test results show an increase from the 35.2% who passed in 2015 up to 36.4% this year.

In a statement, Mayor de Blasio noted how proud he was of the gains made by students throughout the city on the tests, which are used to make decisions concerning the promotion of students, evaluation of teachers, and creation of various policy.

“Our public schools are a cornerstone of New York City,” de Blasio said. “These results represent important progress and outline real improvements across each borough.”

While the city previously trailed behind the rest of the state on test results, this year NYC students performed slightly better than the state average on reading tests. This is the first time that New York City has outperformed the rest of the state in either math or reading tests since being linked to the Common Core standards in 2013, writes Ben Chapman for The Daily News.

Across the state, 37.9% of children met reading standards in 2016 in comparison to the 31.3% who did so in 2015. Meanwhile, 38.1% passed math tests in 2015, which increased to 39.1% this year.

However, state Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia noted that the tests underwent numerous changes in 2016. Elia said that due to this, not much information can be gathered from yearly comparisons, writes Elizabeth Harris for The New York Times.

The tests were shortened in 2016 and time limits were done away with after opposition to the difficulty level of the state became widespread in 2015. Elia said that both of these factors could have led to the increase in test scores.

“Because of the changes in testing, it’s not exactly a perfect comparison,” Elia said. “And even with the increases this year, there remains much work to be done.”

At the same time, the number of students across the state who refused to take the exam increased this year, with more than one in five not participating.

Across the state, 21% of students opted out of the tests in 2016, a slight increase from 2015. Meanwhile, 3% of city students were found to have skipped the exams via absence this year, up from around 2% in 2015.

This year is the third consecutive year that parent groups have organized a testing opt-out movement due to concerns over the high-stakes linked to the exam and the tougher Common Core standards the tests are now based on, writes Jon Campbell for Lohud.

Looking at gains made by black and Hispanic students, black students who met reading standards increased from 19% in 2015 to 26.6% this year. Hispanic students also made gains in reading, going from 19.8% to 27.2%. However, an achievement gap still exists as these students try to keep up with citywide improvements.

Charter school students were found to outperform traditional public school students in both reading and math tests in 2016. Charter school students who passed the reading exam went from 29.3% last year to 43% in 2016, while math scores rose from 44.2% to 48.7%.

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Kristin Decarr

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/new-york-city-test-scores-improve-but-opt-outs-hold-strong/feed/0School District Blames Students for Teacher’s Sexual Misconducthttp://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/school-district-blames-students-for-teachers-sexual-misconduct/
http://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/school-district-blames-students-for-teachers-sexual-misconduct/#commentsSat, 16 Jul 2016 16:00:13 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=281090One of the most prestigious high schools in New York is blaming the students in a case that alleges the three children were sexually abused by their teacher. Christopher Schraufnagel, a teacher at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, New York, is accused of sexually assaulting the three children between 2011 and 2015, who at the time […]

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Kristin Decarr

One of the most prestigious high schools in New York is blaming the students in a case that alleges the three children were sexually abused by their teacher.

Christopher Schraufnagel, a teacher at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, New York, is accused of sexually assaulting the three children between 2011 and 2015, who at the time were all under the age of 17, which is the age of consent in New York state. In addition, Schraufnagel is said to have been drunk while on the job, and also to have given drugs and alcohol to the students involved in the case, whose names are not being released based on the nature of the case and their age.

Schraufnagel’s criminal case is still pending. He has yet to be indicted despite being arrested nine months ago.

He is being accused of, among other things, groping students, pushing them to perform oral sex on him, asking for photos of their genitals, and giving them drugs and alcohol while on school grounds. In addition, the students argue that he is responsible for the creation of games such as “Sick Secret Santa,” which is said to involve “placing human feces in coffee cups, photo-shopping images of students in various photographs in a prurient and otherwise improper manner and baking pubic hairs in cakes.”

The original students, along with their parents and an additional student, are now suing Schraufnagel and the Chappaqua Central School District, arguing that appropriate action was not taken to prevent the abuse from happening. Schraufnagel’s conduct was outlined in their complaint, which also argues that the school did not conduct a thorough background check for his relevant criminal history, take precautions to prevent the abuse, or respond appropriately when the initial complaint was made, writes Ronn Blitzer for LawNewz.

The lawsuit argues that Schraufnagel should have been monitored more closely. Because this did not happen, the students say that the school is responsible for allowing the abuse to happen for years.

“If the plaintiffs were caused to sustain injuries and damages at the times and places and in the manner alleged in the complaint … [they were] caused or contributed to by reason of the carelessness, recklessness, negligence and/or assumption of the risk, both implied and expressed, of the plaintiffs,” the documents say.

Parents of the victims were furious at the accusations made by the school district. The mother of one boy argued that the school was supposed to be a “safe zone,” adding that her son had been given cocaine by the teacher, which then turned into a more generalized drug problem and an almost-fatal overdose.

Chappaqua Central School District is not making a public comment on the issue due to a general policy that does not allow comments to be made concerning ongoing litigation.

Schraufnagel, who taught speech and drama at the school voted to be the best public high school in the country, was placed on paid leave in June 2015. He resigned the following September.

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Kristin Decarr

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/school-district-blames-students-for-teachers-sexual-misconduct/feed/0Complaints Allege NYC Schools Fail on Sexual Assault Caseshttp://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/complaints-allege-nyc-schools-fail-on-sexual-assault-cases/
http://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/complaints-allege-nyc-schools-fail-on-sexual-assault-cases/#commentsThu, 16 Jun 2016 12:00:12 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=279375New York City’s Department of Education has been accused of failing when it comes to sexual violence and harassment prevention within the public school system. Attorney Carrie Goldberg recently filed two complaints requesting that an investigation be opened by federal officials with the US Department of Education and Department of Justice into the city’s DOE. The […]

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Kristin Decarr

New York City’s Department of Education has been accused of failing when it comes to sexual violence and harassment prevention within the public school system.

Attorney Carrie Goldberg recently filed two complaints requesting that an investigation be opened by federal officials with the US Department of Education and Department of Justice into the city’s DOE. The complaints allege that schools throughout the city continuously discredit and punish students who are victims of sexual assault.

A previous complaint had been filed by Goldberg in November 2015 on behalf of a third girl. The complaint is currently being investigated by the Office for Civil Rights.

“It is our strong belief that these incidents are indicative of institutionalized deliberate indifference to the needs of black female victims of sexual assault ‘educated’ by the New York City Department of Education,” Goldberg wrote to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

According to Goldberg, all three girls she is representing were “formally or informally suspended’ from the Brooklyn public school system, reports Andrea Cavallier for PIX11.

“Whether by official act or omission the end result is that sexual assault victims suffer twice in [New York City Department of Education]; once at the hands of the individual that attacked them, and again under the heel of a bureaucracy that is required to act in their best interest,” the complaint filed on June 4 reads.

The complaint filed last year was the result of a story that had been reported by Buzzfeed News stating an eighth grader at Brooklyn’s Spring Creed Community School had been dragged from the bus stop she was waiting at to an alleyway where she was forced to perform anal and oral sex in April 2015. A video of the occurrence was recorded and shared by the male student involved, writes Kate Taylor for The New York Times.

Goldberg, who filed the complaint on behalf of the female student and her family, said that the school had simply told the girl to stay away from the school after the video of the incident went viral, writes Mary Ann Georgantopoulos for Buzzfeed.

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Kristin Decarr

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/complaints-allege-nyc-schools-fail-on-sexual-assault-cases/feed/0New York City’s Elite High Schools to Benefit from Diversity Pushhttp://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/new-york-citys-elite-high-schools-to-benefit-from-diversity-push/
http://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/new-york-citys-elite-high-schools-to-benefit-from-diversity-push/#commentsWed, 15 Jun 2016 12:00:49 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=279418The New York City Department of Education announced a series of reforms meant to expand minority enrollment at elite high schools in NYC to be implemented throughout the summer months. Officials say that although black and Hispanic students account for 68% of city school students, they only make up 11% of the student body at specialized […]

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Kristin Decarr

The New York City Department of Education announced a series of reforms meant to expand minority enrollment at elite high schools in NYC to be implemented throughout the summer months.

Officials say that although black and Hispanic students account for 68% of city school students, they only make up 11% of the student body at specialized high schools. There is also a large difference in the number of black and Latino students that take the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test, SHSAT. In total, 22% of black and Latino eighth-graders took the exam last fall in comparison to 52% of their Asian and white peers.

In total, six new initiatives were announced by City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña late last week that seek to increase access and diversity at the eight specialized high schools in the city, including the nationally-ranked Staten Island Technical High School.

Initiatives include an outreach team that will meet with individual black and Hispanic students who perform highly at the junior high school level to push them to apply to the elite schools throughout the city. Team members will also offer tutoring for minority students to help them with the SHSAT entrance exams in order to increase their chances of being admitted through the DREAM program available to sixth and seventh-grade students, writes Selim Algar for The New York Post. In all, five outreach specialists will be hired by the DOE.

The SHSAT will also be administered on a school day, rather than on a weekend, in an effort to increase the number of students who take the test. Test preparation will be offered to eighth-graders through after-school programs.

The Discovery Program, available to students who receive scores within a range underneath the qualifying score on the SHSAT, will also be worked on in order to increase its scope.

“Our specialized high schools need to better reflect the diversity of our neighborhoods and our city while maintaining their high standards, and this strong package of reforms is an important step forward,” Mayor de Blasio said.

“This is about equity and excellence for all of our high performing middle school students regardless of their ZIP code and background,” Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña said. “We’re going to increase diversity without lowering any standards; to the contrary, greater diversity will help all our students succeed,” she added.

The program is expected to be funded through $2 million in state grants. The initiatives are set to be in place before students take the SHSAT in October at a cost of $15 million through fiscal year 2020.

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Kristin Decarr

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/new-york-citys-elite-high-schools-to-benefit-from-diversity-push/feed/0Buffalo Board Nixes Cosmetic Surgery Provision for Teachershttp://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/buffalo-board-nixes-cosmetic-surgery-provision-for-teachers/
http://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/buffalo-board-nixes-cosmetic-surgery-provision-for-teachers/#commentsTue, 14 Jun 2016 15:00:17 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=279272To balance the city’s education budget, New York’s Buffalo School Board has decided to eliminate the district’s contentious cosmetic surgery insurance rider for teachers. The board said it would help offset the $11.9 million budget shortfall. This action would save $5 million according to the five-member majority who signed the resolution. The board will also […]

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Grace Smith

To balance the city’s education budget, New York’s Buffalo School Board has decided to eliminate the district’s contentious cosmetic surgery insurance rider for teachers. The board said it would help offset the $11.9 million budget shortfall.

This action would save $5 million according to the five-member majority who signed the resolution. The board will also advise the Buffalo Teachers Federation (BTF) that the district will not continue to reimburse teachers for cosmetic procedures.

“We have figured out a way to use resources from this useless privilege that teachers have created for themselves and putting those resources back into the classroom,” said board member Jason M. “Jay” McCarthy on Monday.

However, BTF President Philip Rumore said the union will sue if the board attempts to take away this already agreed upon portion of the contract agreement.

The BTF has not had a contract since 2004 and has adhered to the old agreement as state law requires. The current agreement includes the cosmetic rider and will be in effect until a new deal is reached, at which time the union says it is willing to drop the cosmetic surgery provision.

The board’s resolution would also reduce the funding allocated to implement the district’s new turn-around plan by $2 million. But board member Larry Quinn says the money will not be cut, and will instead be put in reserve for use later in the 2016-2017 academic year.

The board majority also wants to reduce the amount of budgeted overtime from $1.8 million to $500,000. Administrators have suggested closing the deficit by using some of the district’s $52 million in savings, but some board members advised against using any of the reserves.

WIVB-TV’s Katie Alexander says the district has stated that it cannot afford to continue spending millions of dollars on teachers’ plastic surgery procedures. What is being spent, the district adds, is enough to hire 240 new teachers annually.

According to state law, the district is allowed to do what is necessary to expedite negotiations. Some district officials said taking away the cosmetic surgery coverage would do just that. But Rumore countered by saying this would be the opposite of encouraging negotiations.

But Rumore maintains his stance that taking the rider away will be a “slap in the face to teachers,” according to Kelly Dudzik of WGRZ-TV.

Many Buffalo residents feel that cosmetic surgery is not a top priority in the education budget. Teachers should have contracts that include their salaries, their hours, and other expectations, but not this, writes WKBW-TV’s
Ali Touhey.

The board would like to use the money that would be saved by eliminating the cosmetic surgery clause for improvements such as smaller class sizes in kindergarten through third grade and more neighborhood schools, says board member Carl Paladino.

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Grace Smith

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/buffalo-board-nixes-cosmetic-surgery-provision-for-teachers/feed/0Government Program Combines Academics, Drone Building for Refugeeshttp://www.educationnews.org/technology/government-program-combines-academics-drone-building-for-refugees/
http://www.educationnews.org/technology/government-program-combines-academics-drone-building-for-refugees/#commentsSun, 29 May 2016 14:00:10 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=278508The city of Utica, New York has been awarded $2 million from the Department of Labor to be put toward teaching young refugees how to build drones during a summer jobs program. Close to 400 refugees currently living in the city will be offered part-time summer jobs through the program in addition to tutoring in both […]

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Kristin Decarr

The city of Utica, New York has been awarded $2 million from the Department of Labor to be put toward teaching young refugees how to build drones during a summer jobs program.

Close to 400 refugees currently living in the city will be offered part-time summer jobs through the program in addition to tutoring in both math and English. Those with the strongest academic performance will participate in a drone building challenge that will take place during the school year while also continuing with the work and tutoring.

Students between the ages of 14 and 15 will learn how to design a drone and will then build their own in the lab at Mohawk Valley Community College. The school is home to an award-winning drone studies program, writes Rachel Stoltzfoos for The Daily Caller.

“It was just a population we chose to target,” Alice Savino, executive director of the area Workforce Development Board that applied for the grant, said about the decision to direct the funds specifically to refugees. “These kids are here, and they need help.”

The portion of the program focusing on drones was introduced in an effort to help some of the local refugees later find work in the drone industry. Savino went on to say that the market for these skills exists due to businesses that are testing drones at a nearby U.S. Air Force base.

“The prime focus will be refugee youth in the city,” the grant application abstract reads. “About 1 in 6 Uticans is a refugee from another nation. State data shows this group has the highest dropout rate, lowest college-ready rate in the city.”

According to a Goldman Sachs report put out earlier in the month, the global drone market is expected to reach $100 billion by 2020, with $21 billion of that coming from commercial drones. Estimates from the FAA suggest commercial drone sales will climb from 600,000 this year to 2.7 million in 2020, writes Corinne Ramey for The Wall Street Journal.

Savino said the money will more than double the number of refugees the board is able to help. The non-profit is in charge of the summer program, which works to help low-income youth gain both work and academic skills.

The grant was announced by the Department of Labor in conjunction with the White House. A total of $21 million was split between eleven communities, including Utica. The money will be put toward job programs for youth in all of the communities involved.

The grant offered to Utica was described as “The New American Career Pathways project,” which will provide the refugee “in-school youth” population with summer jobs and academic support.

Although Savino maintains she has not heard any negative comments pertaining to the grant being offered solely to refugees, not everyone is happy with the move. One local in Utica wrote, “What about the ones who were born and raised here?” adding that her son still lives with her despite having a full-time job. Another expressed their frustration at the summer jobs not being offered to “legal Americans.”

Savino states that the community as a whole has been very supportive.

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Kristin Decarr

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/technology/government-program-combines-academics-drone-building-for-refugees/feed/0New York Schools Receive $46mil as Part of Smart Schools Acthttp://www.educationnews.org/technology/new-york-schools-receive-46mil-as-part-of-smart-schools-act/
http://www.educationnews.org/technology/new-york-schools-receive-46mil-as-part-of-smart-schools-act/#commentsThu, 19 May 2016 14:00:28 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=278187New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that 52 schools across the state will be receiving an update in technology as the result of a $45 million investment. The money will come from a $2 billion technology improvement bond for schools, titled the Smart Schools Bond Act, that was approved by voters in 2014. Schools can use the […]

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Kristin Decarr

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that 52 schools across the state will be receiving an update in technology as the result of a $45 million investment.

The money will come from a $2 billion technology improvement bond for schools, titled the Smart Schools Bond Act, that was approved by voters in 2014. Schools can use the bulk of the money, $26 million, to equip classrooms with improved technology and high-speed broadband, as well as other technological improvements such as security devices, Internet network switches, and backup batteries for broadband connections.

“As technology continues to shape the landscape of our economy, we must reimagine our classrooms into modern centers of learning so that our students are prepared for the jobs that meet the demands of tomorrow,” Governor Cuomo said. “With this bold initiative, we are taking an important step towards strengthening our learning environment and connecting students in every corner of the state with the opportunities necessary to succeed in the 21st century economy.”

The disbursement of $45 million will be put toward projects across the state. $26 million will be used for Classroom Technology purchases, $15 million will go toward School Connectivity, $4 million will be put toward High-Tech Security, and $23,000 will go toward Community Connectivity.

Upon the proposal of the Bond act, Cuomo put together the Smart Schools Commission in order to collect information with regards to strategies for schools to effectively invest the bond funds. A report was created by the commission that recommended a focus be placed on increasing broadband and wireless connectivity, as well as utilizing transformative technologies.

New York State Budget Director Robert Mujica said, “These unprecedented State investments demonstrate once again the Governor’s commitment to education, and will benefit children across the state for years to come.”

Members of the Smart Schools Review Board approved the plans from the state Budget Division. The board currently plans to continue to meet periodically to approve additional proposals as the process continues. “We will be back here shortly to keep this process moving forward,” said Beth Berlin, executive deputy state Education Commissioner. The board is made up of the Director of the Budget, the Chancellor of the State University of New York, and the Commissioner of the State Education Department.

Guidelines had previously been issued by the board concerning the required components of Smart Schools Investment Plans.

The amount given varies by school district, with the Chenango Valley Central School District receiving $1,295,686, while the Horseheads Central School District will gain $2,929,862. All schools are required to outline their spending proposals on their websites.

A full list of districts that will receive funding can be found on Cuomo’s website. Lakeland Central School District is set to receive the highest amount, $3.65 million, writes Richard Chang for THE Journal.

It is the hope of the state that the new technology will help students to learn at their own pace, increase access to advanced courses and interactive curriculum, while also allowing for better communication to occur between parents and teachers. The funding will also be used to aid in improvements in pre-kindergarten classrooms, the removal of classroom trailers, and the introduction of high-tech school security.

The first round of funding was approved by the state panel earlier this week.